


Mean Girl's One Shot's to help us Fanpeople

by Serpents_of_Fire_and_Fog



Category: Mean Girls (2004), Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Gay, Lesbian, Lesbian Janis, Romance, Short One Shot, bi cady heron, long one shots, one shots, this is too gay to function
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:08:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24406321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serpents_of_Fire_and_Fog/pseuds/Serpents_of_Fire_and_Fog
Summary: Exactly what the title says. I will take requests ( see profile ) ! Romantic relation ships I will not write include Janis x Damian , Damian x any girl , Janis x any boy, Janis x Regina.  I do not prefer to write smut, however if I do write any the chapters will be marked and very skip-able.
Relationships: Cady Heron/Janis Sarkisian, Damian Hubbard & Janis Sarkisian
Comments: 14
Kudos: 33





	1. How it all Started

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, first chapter! This is my idea on how Janis and Damian became friends. Trigger warning for homophobic slurs and depressive thoughts. You will start to notice very quickly I have always valued a good friendship.

Janis ran through the empty hallway, done with all of it. Done with the torment of snickering eighth graders whispering behind their hands at and about her. Done with people yanking away from her as if she had some disease. Done with the ever persistent notes that had accumulated in her locker she didn't dare throw away. She was done with the look of disappointment her parents gave her and the way teacher's wouldn't call on her in class anymore. Done with herself and her own worthlessness. 

Janis clutched her bathroom pass in her hand tightly. The impossible had happened and school had somehow managed to become more hellish since Regina confronted her. Normally the words of other students did not hurt her in the slightest, but it was no longer just words. This was a consistent wave of sounds and phrases and fists determined to hold her down. She didn't understand why any of this was happening. The names they threw around at her like she was somehow less them. As if emotions, simple feelings you could not control, somehow made you less than another.

She continued to rush onward. It wasn't as if their words were true either. At least, she didn't think so. She had never had feelings for someone before. Her group of friends was extremely limited, and it was hard to even like the people she spent most of her time around, much less love. Why did people expect her to have it all figured out?! And even is she did have it all figured out, why would she have to conform to society's idea of " normal. " She was only fourteen for Christ's sake! 

She hesitated slightly when running as she caught a glimpse of her locker. Janis walked towards it and traced her fingers over the sloppy scrawl of Sharpie. " Space Dyke, " she muttered under her breath. Regina's voice echoed in her mind, And that's all you'll ever be. Janis yanked her hand away and stumbled backwards. Somewhere down the hallway she heard a door close and footsteps headed in her direction. She turned away from the sound and continued running towards the restroom. 

The footsteps behind her seemed to speed up to match her pace, prompting her to go faster. She turned the corner and rushed to the bathroom door, pressing down on the handle of the door , praying that nobody else would be inside. She pushed open the door and closed it tightly behind her. She glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief upon noticing that it was empty. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. The reflection was not someone she had seen in a long time. 

Janis barely recognized the girl staring back at her. This girl had no make up on and obviously didn't care about her appearance. She was wearing a plain sweatshirt and jeans as if to not attract attention. Nothing special, and nothing that Regina would approve of. There was no makeup caked across her face in an attempt at mock perfection. Regina wouldn't like that either. The part that shocked her the most though were the dark brown roots starting to peak through the girls mostly blonde hair. Regina would have hung her for such treason. 

Janis splashed water in her face in an attempt to calm herself, mentally cursing herself for thinking about what Regina thought of her. That didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was getting through the rest of the day. She could hide here until lunch, which was only 20 minute anyway, then go back to get her things from class. She glanced back up at her reflection, ignoring the creak of the bathroom door opening somewhere behind her. She spit at her reflection disgusted with herself. 

" That's only going to hurt you more," came voice from behind her. Janis jumped and turned quickly. In the doorway stood a boy she knew from some of her classes. He was relatively new, having started at the beginning of that very year. What had his name been? She shook her head and responded. " It will only damage your self esteem further. "

" You shouldn't be in here, this is the girl's bathroom," she gestured around her, not sure what to make of the situation. The boy shrugged and walked towards her slowly. 

" I saw you running down the hallway. I wanted to see if you were alright," he shrugged slightly, holding out his hand. "We have a few classes together but I don't know if we've ever really talked. My name is Damian. Damian Hubbard."

Janis scowled, looking him up and down but didn't shake his hand, " Yeah, well you can go now. Wouldn't want you to catch the disease. You don't wanna be caught with the ' Space Dyke' do you? What would the others do to you? What would they say?" her voice seemed to be getting louder, and she found herself walking towards him. " How would they react to the fact that you actually sought out the freak to try to help her?!, " 

At this point she was on the verge of having another breakdown, and she really did not want to do that in front of someone she barely knew. She took a deep breath and stopped walking, looking back up at him. Damian had not moved, instead, he was looking at her with what appeared to be a worried expression. 

" Why would you think I'd care about that? About what those people have to say after they have obviously hurt you quite a bit. They all have very poor judgment if you haven't noticed." He seemed almost hurt by the thought. 

" Gee, I have no idea! Maybe because everyone has been treating me like some... some.. parasite that deserves to be crushed ever since Regina started that rumor?!" Janis had struggled to find a good analogy. There was no way she could convey how she was truly feeling. How disgusted she was with herself. " Just.. Just please go."

Damian hesitated, but only momentarily, before he began speaking, "I'm not like that. I'm not going to turn away from you when you most defiantly need a good friend," he stated defiantly, "I'm staying right here and if you don't want to talk, I get it. But I'm going to stand right here by your side, like a good friend should, and I swear if anybody tries to hurt you I will make sure they never want to do it again. Even if you don't want me here, until you are OK, or you have other friends that I can trust will help you, I am not letting you alone. You do NOT deserve to be this miserable or hated all the time. No one does."

Janis stared right into his eyes. Nobody had ever been like this to her, or truthfully, anyone at this school. If a Plastic declared you bad news, a problem to society or the school's social hierarchy, you were avoided like the Black Death in fourteenth century Europe. She had never been so grateful to one person. 

" I-, " she shook her head, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. She wiped at them quickly not wanting the other to notice. If he did, he didn't say anything." Thank you." 

Damian nodded at her before glancing at the watch strapped across his wrist. " There's about 10 minutes until lunch. Do you want me to wait it out here with you?" Janis nodded at him and he smiled softly at her. " Alright then. Do you need a hug or is that stepping over the line to soon?" 

The corner's of Janis's mouth turned up wards slightly at his words, " No, a hug sounds great." The boy grinned and engulfed her in a hug, his tall figure tightly wrapped around her much smaller one. 

The two waited another 15 minutes, allowing the rest of their peers to make their way towards the lunch room. A few girls came in and out, but most of them straight up ignored them. Those of them who tried to mess with Janis had another thing coming for them. Damian was true to his words of not allowing anyone to hurt her. The two briefly parted ways to retrieve their belongings before meeting back up and eating lunch right there on the bathroom floor where they met. Damian knew he couldn't make all the girl's pain go away, and Janis knew all the problems wouldn't end as soon as a new friend waltzed into her life, but life would never be easy for anyone. They would still both face rough patches and hard times, and Janis most certainly wasn't out of the dark yet. But with a new friend by her side, Janis would finally be able to have a little bit of peace in her life, a little more confidence, and someone she knew she could count on if she ever again fell to hard to get up on her own.


	2. Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story is my take on the first time Regina has Janis dye her hair Blonde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stand firm in my belief that Janis Sarkisian's hair is blonde on the ends because Regina wanted her to dye her hair and she's growing it out after her time with the plastics. This is, once again, my take on that story. Trigger Warning for toxic friendship.

"Janis, we need to talk," Regina's tone was firm as she spoke. Dread pooled in Janis's stomach as she looked up from her homework. Regina's eyes meeting her own did nothing to calm her nerves. 

" 'Bout what," she replied, trying to sound calm. She averted her eyes back to her multiplication in an awkward attempt to appear normal. 

" Your hair!" Regina rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing she could have said. 

Janis's eyes shot up from her work, and she dropped her pencil. " What's wrong with my hair?!"

Regina looked at her for a moment before speaking, as if waiting for Janis to laugh and say she knew exactly what was wrong, "Janis. Your hair is brown. Not even a pretty brown, just brown. Do you just not want people to like you? I'm sorry Janis but if you want to stay friends, something needs to change fast." 

Janis sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Why was sixth grade so difficult? "All right then. What do you suggest we do to fix this then?" Regina grinned back at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Homework forgotten on the table, Regina rushed to find her mo , pulling Janis behind her. Twenty minutes later, they were in the car on the way to Sally's. 

Mrs. George had already called Janis's mom to make sure she'd be OK with such a drastic change. Regina spent the entirety ride explaining what would happen. They were driving about an hour out of town, to limit the chances that someone may see them. Regina did not want anyone to know that her hair wasn't "naturally this gorgeous." Once they were at the store, Regina would help Janis pick out a suitable color, but one that wasn't exactly the same as her own. 

" Why can't we have the same color?" Janis asked hesitantly. 

Regina rolled her eyes, "You've never dyed your hair before, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. When we go back to school tomorrow, everyone is going to notice that you have a different hair color than normal. It will be painfully obvious that you dyed it. Now, imagine you go back with the same exact color as me. Everyone will know mine was dyed too! It would be horrible!" Janis just nodded along as Regina continued to give her the breakdown. In fact, that is exactly what Janis did for the next two hours. Janis allowed Regina to pull her along as she piled different things into her arms. After what felt like hours ( because it quite literally had been) , Janis was sitting on a chair in the George's bathroom wrapped in a salon cape.

Janis forced herself to stare into the mirror the entire time. Somewhere off to her left, Regina was sitting perched at the edge of the bathtub waiting for it to be her turn. Regina's mother worked the solution through her hair, spreading the loose paste from her hair's roots to its tips. The smell was sharp and strong in the closed in space that was the bathroom. Yet, it didn't seem to bother Regina or her mother. As Mrs. George spread the dye through Janis's hair, Regina's steely eyes stayed locked onto her the entire time. It was as if Regina thought that blinking for even a moment would allow Janis to run, to change her mind and go back to the ugly mess that was her brown hair.

But it would be too late now, anyway.

Mrs. George took a step back, admiring her work before speaking, "All right, I think that is good. I'll set a timer for an hour and while you wait, I can do Regina's hair." Regina stalked towards her mom and Janis practically jumped off the stool to make room for her. You could barely notice where Regina's hair was starting to grow in at the roots. Still, Regina took it like a threat to her life. She allowed her mother to begin the process of painting the dye through her hair as Janis sat and watched. Regina didn't seem to notice, or she did and didn't care, because through the whole process she had not made a single attempt to talk to her best . 

The time trickled by slowly until finally Janis was back in front of the mirror, once again staring at her reflection. This time, however, it was different. The girl staring back at her was in not herself. The blonde looked awkward and forced and didn't belong. She tilted her head slightly and when the girl in the mirror did the same, she had to hold back a gasp. 

Regina stood beside her admiring her own reflection. The negligible amounts of touch ups Mrs. George had done did not have much effect on the girl's appearance. Sure the blonde color was just a little but brighter than before, but why did it matter so much?

Regina's mom had the two girls smile for a quick picture that way she could send it to Janis's mother, "Well, I'll leave you girls to it. Unless of course you want me to stay we could do each other's-."

" Thanks mom, we don't need any more help," Regina cut her mom off quickly, giving her a forced smile through gritted teeth as her mom left the room. Mrs. George continued to go on and on as she left and Regina shut the door behind her. " Well, what do you think," Regina made her way back over to where her friend was standing.

" It is certainly.. different," Janis said, still not sure what to make of her updated look. 

" You'll get used to it. But look, now you almost look pretty. More importantly, you can still be my friend," Regina gave her another one of those smiles that was you needed to determine how condescending she was being. 

As Regina dragged her off to show her the new book she'd been working on, Janis spared herself one more glance at her reflection. Maybe Regina was right. It would just take some getting used to. Yet she still did not feel beautiful. Maybe it comes with time, she thought. She sighed and finally turned away, hearing Regina's harsh voice pull her towards her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for a shorter chapter!!


	3. A Little More Than a Sketch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janis x Cady soulmate AU where people draw their soulmates even if they do not know them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I have fallen hostage to the soulmate AU's. Read to find out what kind. If you couldn't tell yet I really ship Janis and Cady. Major gay vibes. Trigger warning for subtle homophobia.

On the first day of kindergarten, every student was handed a piece of paper and a pencil. They were told simply to draw a face to the best of their ability without putting too much thought into it. Naturally, this made a most of the students put a lot of thought into it. But not Janis. She let her mind wander as though her hand had a mind of its own. The face of a young girl slowly developed on the page. The girl in Janis's drawing has hair that fell in a gentle curl just above her shoulders and bright eyes that matched her wide smile. Janis had, as far as she knew, never seen that girl. She was just some figment of her imagination. But even so, the girl seemed to have a familiarity she could simply just not place.

If someone were to look at the drawing without knowing any better, they would think it had been done by a student in one of the grades above her. So much so that when the teacher walked by looking at all the children's master pieces, she did a double take at Janis's before continuing onward around the room. 

That day when she got home the first thing she did was rush inside to show her mom the sketch she had been so proud of. At the time, her mother didn't think twice of it and simply gave Janis a binder to keep her art work in. But then there where more sketches, drawings, and paintings of the same girl. Janis continued to show her art work to her mom with more and more pride each time. Her mother's face, however, did not hold the same excitement. Instead, it began to morph, only holding anger and disappointment. She calmly asked her daughter where she had gotten the inspiration for these drawings. 

" They just.. came to me," Janis told her mom nervously, not understanding what she could have possibly done wrong. It was just graphite on paper, what could be so bad about that?

Sighing, Janis's mom lead her to her office and pulled down a folder from the shelf. Her mother set it on the desk with a soft thud and opened it to pull out the first page. The piece of paper contained a poorly drawn picture of a small boy. "I drew this when I was about your age," she stated calmly. "I was sitting at the kitchen table. When my mom saw what I had drawn, she took it and stuck it in this folder. Over time, I drew more and more of these, always of the same boy. The pictures changed, getting more detailed over time." She began pulling out more of the pictures for Janis to see, laying each on top of the other's as she did so. She continued to do this as she began talking again.

" I did not understand fully why my mom was saving specifically these pictures until I was a bit older. She explained to me something that may as well have been out of a fairy tale," she paused slightly to get the sketches in order , then continued, "She told me we each have someone we are destined to be with, and over time we will draw them and they will draw us. The drawings will become more detailed, ageing with the subject, until the day you fall in love," Janis's mom had reached the end of the pictures, coming to one final one of a young man and woman standing at an alter.

" Is that you and Daddy?," Janis inquired with amazement. 

Her mother nodded, " I drew that the night before our wedding." The woman smiled at the art before picking up all the pieces of paper and tucking them back in to her folder. " Look at your drawings my sweet. I think you need to stop drawing this girl and find a new subject." She slid the folder back onto the shelf before kissing Janis on the forehead and leaving her alone with her thoughts. Janis didn't want to stop drawing the girl, so she didn't. She kept all her drawings of the girl in the binder, which she placed under her bed where they could avoid her mother's sharp eyes. 

Throughout the years, Janis continued to draw and sketch and paint. Her work changed styles and subjects. It became an outlet in her times of need and hurt. When nobody else was there to hold her up, she could always count on a piece of paper and a pencil. Still, she always managed to find her way back to the girl. Janis began to draw more detailed portraits, just as her mom said she would. Sometimes in the background would be the open savanna, or even an occasional lion. It was confusing to Janis. How was she supposed to fall in love with someone who obviously lived nowhere near her?

She kept her work secret from everyone. In fact, she had told no one of her secret dilemma until she met her best friend Damian in eighth grade. Every once in a while he would ask her if there were any new pictures or details. Janis had started adding color into the pictures. This allowed Janis to pick up on more things about the girl. At least her physical appearance anyway. For example, the girl's hair was strawberry blonde color, and her eyes the most stunning blue. In almost every drawing the girl was smiling. One picture though, seemed to catch Janis's eyes more than the other's. 

In the painting, the girl was with two people Janis assumed to be her parents. She seemed to be bouncing up and down excitedly while her parent's seemed to have a more serious composure. The girl was no longer evidently near a lion or inside a tent. Instead, she appeared to be in a kitchen with many boxes. Janis brushed it off and decided not to put anymore thought into it. That is, until homeroom class the following Monday. 

" Janis, don't look now, but that girl you always draw just walked into the room," Damian sounded utterly shocked as he said it, even looked the part, but Janis rolled her eyes and continued working on a sketch in her notebook. Damian was a wonderful actor and while she couldn't lie for shit, Damian could pull such a joke on her any time of day.

" Har har," she replied without looking up.

Damian snatched Janis's notebook away and pointed urgently at Ms. Norbury's desk. Janis rolled her eyes and looked up. And there she was. Janis's jaw dropped. The girl she had known her whole life without ever really talking to her. Seen every day without ever meeting face to face. Janis heard Damian snicker.

"Told you."

" Shut It."

Janis could barely contain her excitement. All she had to do was make it through her classes leading up to lunch, yet that seemed nearly impossible. All she wanted to do was meet the girl, who she learned was named Cady, that had been the subject of at least a third of her art work for the past 10 years. When the bell finally rang for lunch, Janis practically ran to meet Damian. He stood outside the cafeteria waiting for her with an amused smile on his face. 

"We gonna go find your soul mate?," he said jokingly. Janis glared at him before nodding. "I saw her head towards the bathroom," Damian hadn't even finished talking before Janis was pulling him in the direction of the girl's restroom. Janis had mixed emotions about the whole situation. Sure she wanted to meet this girl but at the same time she was terrified. Her thoughts kept going back to what her mom had said all those years ago. Should she have stopped making using the mystery girl as a subject? She shook her head and continued onward. 

Damian mockingly opened the door to the restroom for her and Janis returned the gesture with a sarcastic bow. The two walked into the tiled room and found themselves at the stall of a girl quite obviously eating inside. 

Damian knocked on the door and raised his voice a couple octaves before speaking, "You've been in there a very long time! You're either doing drugs or very constipated from using drugs!," Janis scowled at him right as the girl burst through the stall door.

" No! I- " Janis cut her off.

" Hi, I'm Janis, and this is Da-," the girl returned the favor.

" You! Your that girl!" Janis gave her a confused look. " The one I've been drawing sense I was seven!," Damian laughed while Janis just stood there in shock. So it was true; This Cady girl really was her soulmate. Slowly, she lowered her backpack of her shoulders and took out the binder she had started to carry with her everywhere. 

" I've been drawing you as well,"Janis handed Cady the binder, who immediately began to flip through each detailed page. In turn, she handed a sketchpad from her own bag to Janis. There were many portraits, each more accurate than the next. As if by some magical force none of us can even begin to fathom, the two looked up at each other. Their eyes connected and it was as if a whole new world awaited. Neither of them knew what to expect, but they still knew they wanted to find out. 

" Do you want to like.. meet up after school of something," Janis asked with an awkward grin on her face.

She smiled that warm smile Janis had been drawing for years and replied with no hesitations or regrets. " I think I'd like that a lot."

Somewhere behind them Damian had whistled, but it didn't matter right then of there. Both girls had found what they had been waiting their entire lives for. Each girl silently swore that they would protect the other, no matter what came between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to send prompts / one shot ideas! This one is probably something I could turn into a full story, comment if you want me to.


	4. I Don't Feel Any Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title from A Little Fall of Rain from Les Misérables, which also happens to be the inspiration for this chapter. 
> 
> This chapter contains a character from another fandom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is encouraged and fic ideas greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Trigger warning for violence. 
> 
> IMPORTANT:   
> This is the final chapter in this book. All oneshot's I post to Ao3 will from this point forward be published independently.

Cady and Janis were walking shoulder to shoulder through the aisle's of the grocery store, giggling or blushing or looking away as they bumped into one another. Cady clutched an empty basket in her hand and it tapped against her knee as the two walked. They had absolutely no idea what they were here to buy, as Janis had insisted they did not need to write a list. All they knew was that they needed food because their refrigerator and cabinets was empty and exams were coming up this week. Once they started, it would be miserable to try and go out with the stress of studying and classes. They knew they would not want to have to go back out during the week so what better time to prepare than now? As they wandered through the store, Janis continually pointed out to Cady that they could just get Instant Ramen and canned soup and call it quits. Cady never failed to roll her eyes at such remark, saying that they only needed one meal of each and that should at least try to eat something that was not crap.

This was not an uncommon occurrence. In fact, it happened quite often. Every weekend the two girls would go to the store while Damian was at work and get the weeks worth of groceries. The three had been roommates since they started college, renting an apartment right outside of their school's campus. On most days it was amazing. Aside from the endless supply of homework and stressful classes, they were living the dream. Sure, Janis could do without the constant nagging from Damian, telling her that she could confess her "Undying love for Caddie," but that was just a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

Janis was suddenly pulled from her train of thought when Cady shook her arm gently. Sparks shot up her arm and her fingertips tingled as her mind came back into focus. She snapped her attention back to Cady.

"Are you alright Janis? You seemed to have zoned out there a bit," Cady's Face twisted with concern as she spoke. When Janis confirmed that she was indeed fine, she continued, "I was wondering what cereal's you think we should grab?"

Janis shrugged her shoulders before responding, "Whatever you want is fine with me, Caddie," The corners of Cady's lips turned upwards slightly at the nickname before throwing a box of whatever cereal was closest to her into the basket. The two young woman continued through the store as they brainstormed what they wanted to eat for the week. Slowly, the basket started to fill, and they made their way to the front of the store. Janis and Cady continued to laugh and talk as they neared the check-out Janis found herself glancing at Cady more and more often. She mentally cursed herself: It wasn't like Cady would just disappear!

They had almost reached the line when they heard two loud bangs, followed by some yelling and loud screams. Janis took a deep breath to calm her startled nerves. It's fine, she thought, trying to maintain reason, something probably just fell over. But to her, the loud "bang's" sounded suspiciously like gunshots. An employee walked past them briskly, heading in the direction of the noise. Janis looked over at Cady who just shrugged and set their grocery basket on the conveyor belt.

Janis quickly began unloading the basket, not quite sure where the sudden panic had come from. The shouting had stopped and there had been no further loud noises. Yet something felt off. She tried to ignore the growing sense of nervousness pooling in her stomach. She looked over at Cady again. She was perfectly fine, not a sign of worry on her face. Janis was just about to return to emptying the basket when she heard more shouting and bangs, followed by pounding footsteps headed in their direction. Her head snapped up to see a young man running in their general direction, boots pounding on the ground. He appeared to be about 50, maybe a bit younger. His hair was dark, and he wore a long coat. A backpack was slung over his shoulder, bulging with stolen goods. His hands had visible blood splattered on them.

He had a gun clutched in his hand.

Janis stood frozen in fear. Somewhere behind her she had Cady gasp and desperately clutch at Janis's arm. Both girls were terrified that if they moved, it would be game over. The unnamed man stopped just short of the cash register. He pointed his firearm at the boy behind the counter, demanding he hand over everything inside. With shaking hands, the boy fumbled with the cash register until he finally opened it and released the money to his would be attacker. The man snatched away the money and began counting it as quickly as possible. After a moment, his face darkened. He began yelling at the boy and waving his gun around, demanding more money. The boy shrank back, pleading with the man, begging for mercy. But the man had none to give. He shot him.

The noise was deafening to Cady and Janis, as they were standing so close. Cady let a yelp. They man turned to the two young woman, both paralyzed with free, gripping each other tightly. Janis shuffled slightly in front of Cady as the boy stepped closer. Sirens could be heard in the distance, but that didn't matter. All that mattered to Janis was that she and Cady got out of there alive. The boy walked towards Janis in a manor not unlike a horror movie villain. He was muttering something under his breath that Janis could not make out. It wasn't until he go closer that she could make out what he was saying.

"Veronica.. Veronica..," over and over again, he continued to mutter in a dazed, monotonous chant. When he finally reached Janis, he reached out his hand and brushed it gently over Janis's cheek, his eye lightning slightly as he did so. Janis was quick to push it away. The man's eyes turned to their original darkened done, and he began to speak, " You didn't want me then, you don't want me now. I should have killed you when I had the chance. But that's okay, I'll do it now. Then you can stay seventeen forever, just like you wanted."

Janis was so confused it dizzied her. What was this man saying? She had no idea who this man was, but of course she would not "want him." He appeared to be over 30 years older than her, being only 20 herself. Not to mention the fact that she was gay and currently crushing on her best friend. She racked her brain but as far as she could remember, she had never met a Veronica, much less one who looked like her. Whoever she was, where ever she was, she felt bad for her having to deal with this man.

The man took a few steps back, raising his gun at Janis. It took a split second for her to realize what was about to happen, still, time seemed to slow down. Janis pulled Cady in for a hug before shoving her as far away as possible. She heard the man pull the trigger right as she turned around. She was just in time to get the bullet caught in her chest. It pushed her hard into the floor. The pain was hot as it tore through her. She heard her attackers heavy footsteps as they carried him away. She heard the sirens wailing somewhere in the distance. She heard the shouts of people rushing about her. But most of all, she heard Cady's cry.

That almost hurt more.

Her friend rushed towards her, ripping off her own jacket in an attempt to apply pressure to the wound. Sobs racked Cady's body as she pulled Janis's head into her lap. She cradled her head and stroked her hair, still pressing the jacket to Janis's chest. Janis's stared into Cady's eyes and reached a shaking hand up to brush a tear from her cheek. Her fingers had started to tingle, but she no longer felt the pain in her chest.

"You- you'll be ok. The ambulance is on its way, I promise. I can hear the sirens, they're so close. They- they have to save you! They will ! I know they can, just please don't die on me!," Cady sobbed, barely able to get the words out. She continued to ramble on about how Janis would be alright. How this whole disaster would be over soon and they could be back in their apartment with Damian. That it had to just be a horrible, horrible dream.

Janis cut the crying girl off mid sentence, "Shhh, don't cry. I hate when you cry, I can't see your eyes," her voice trembled terribly, but at least she was able to form sentences. "Your eyes Caddie, they always look like stars. They sparkle more than anything I've ever seen. But when you cry, I can't see them." Cady quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and Janis smiled slightly. "S— See.. So sp-sparkly,"As Janis struggled to speak, Cady hushed her and pulled her closer. Janis closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of Cady's shirt.

Despite Cady's previous protests, Janis continued to speak, "I've liked you f-for a longgg t-t-time. More than llliked. But you were w-wwith Aaron. So I let you be ha-happy. And then you weren't, but you would never want m-me like th-that, "Janis's vision was starting to get blurry, but she could still see Cady's sad eye through the haze. She was struggling to keep pressure on Janis's wound, as blood had already heavily drenched her jacket.

"Janis.. If I had known how you felt," she continued to fight back her tears, trying and failing. "God Janis, I broke up with Aaron because I wanted to be with you. So, so much. But I was scared.. I should have told you sooner," Janis offered her a week smile before closing her eyes again. Cady continued to whisper to Janis in any attempt to comfort her.

"I love you," Janis's voice was just barely audible as she said it, but Cady heard and stopped talking. Janis stared up into Cady's eyes, the ones she truly adored, and she gazed back. With her dying breath, Janis whispered her final thoughts to her best friend, " I love you so, so much, Caddie Heron." And then she was gone. Her body fell limp and her breathing ceased.

In a way, Cady died too. She sat there in a pool of her best friend's blood, rocking back and forth cradling her dead body. She sobbed into the girl's hair knowing she'd never get to hear her beautiful laugh or see a new painting made of Janis's graceful stroked ever again. Tears continued to pour down her face as she carefully closed Janis's eyelids and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, Janis."


End file.
